It's Where We Call Home
by Koalaaahugs
Summary: In modern times, where youkai and humans are able to coexist, Inuyasha moves into an apartment filled zany, unusual residents. Called to be the new superintendent, Inuyasha must overcome the challenges of an old building, different personalities and family issues.
1. Inuyasha Meets the Old Apartment

The sound of small stone grinding against pavement left a sharp ring, as tires pulled away from the side walk he was left beside. Inuyasha slung a large duffel bag over his shoulder. One eye was slightly winced as the sun glared on him from behind a rather small building. He heaved out a heavy breath, as he made his way forward. The apartment building was narrow and tall, consistent with the many buildings scattering Tokyo. As he got to the door, he dropped his other large bag, to rummage through his pockets. His eyes lingered on the large sign, 'THE JEWEL', The name of this particular set of apartments. He managed to dig through small balls of old crumpled receipts, loose coins and lint before he pulled out a bundle of keys. Each one had a different colour rubber framing the tops, to help him identify which key was for what. He recalled the key to open the glass doors was framed in red. His fingers fumbled through each one before he got to the jagged piece. His placed the key into the panel, causing the glass door to slide open.

'Fancy.' He thought to himself, as he picked up the bag and made his way through. The foyer was small, and enclosed by a second set of glass doors, that automatically slid open with motion. To his left, were the mailboxes. There were 28 in total. One was specifically for building management. He figured he would check it later. He kept moving forward, into the small hall that led to elevators. He stared at the single door. This would inevitably cause traffic, especially amongst 27 different patrons, including himself. The morning rush hour between 7 and 10 am would be the worst times. Then the evening between 6 and 9. He made a note to himself he would avoid the elevator at all times and rather take the stairs. He glanced at his watch. 1346. He was ahead of schedule.

The dig of the elevator announcing its arrival caught his attention. He stepped in. The smell of old fabric and air freshener assailed his nose. The walls of the elevator were lined with what appeared to be some sort of scratchy looking fabric. The colour of yellowed age stained what was probably once a light beige. The wooden handles that reached about below his waist line were scratched and dinged, but otherwise in tact. The mirrors that covered the rest of the half of the walls were somewhat smudged. He could see the hand prints of children, smudged of permanent water stains and some discoloration. He turned around and inserted his key into the panel, then hit '6'.

The doors opened to the outside. He stepped out and stared at the view of the patio, facing the streets of Arakawa. He could see the trailway leading to Machiya station, just a few 15 minute walk from his new place. He turned to walk the narrow path of the patio. He counted the doors. There were three apartments per level. He got to his. 503. He dropped the bag in his right hand, and grabbed his keys once again. The blue framed one is the one he needed. He inserted the key and twisted to the left, the bass click indicting he was in welcomed him to his new home. He pushed the heavy door open. He was not surprised to see the foyer was small. He slid his shoes off, and kicked the door behind him closed.

" _Okaeri_." He mumbled out loud to no one in particular. As he entered, the space was close to around 750 square feet. Rather large for such a small complex. To his right was the kitchen, a single stove, a small counter space and very few cupboards, acted as a suspended border between the kitchen and the rest of the house. A small couch sat right against the wall, in front of it a coffee table, covered with a tacky table cover. A small TV stand and TV were across, pressed against the other wall.

He paced across the living room, then opened a door in the corner, right by the couch. It was the door to his bedroom. It was just a tiny, with a twin sized bed pressed into the corner. Beside it was small bedside drawer. The lack of furnishing and décor made the room look deceptively large. A single lonely alarm clock, buzzed in the middle of the drawer. To his left, another door which led to what he assumed was the bathroom. He dumped his bags onto the floor before flopping face down onto the bed. This was home now, he supposed.

Loud banging caused his ears to twitch. One eye cracked open, to be greeted by a plain white canvas. He brought one hand to his forward and slid it down his face, letting it rest over his lips. His breath was warm and thick against his palm. As he inhaled and pushed his hand through his volume silver hair, Inuyasha cranked his head to the side. 1523. He felt the weight of gravity on his head and shoulders, his nap seemed much shorter. Heaving out a sigh, he placed his palms onto the bed and pushed off.

"Calm down!" He yelled as he pulled his arms up over his head to stretch.

The banging continued, picking up a frenzied pace. "This better be good," he mumbled to himself as he grabbed the doorknob leading to outside. "What?"

As he swung open the large, heavy door his eyes stung from the bright lowering sun. He blinked away the tears welling from waking up and burned. Only to be greeted by shock.

The girl in front of him was absolutely beautiful. His breath caught, as she tucked a thick strand of wavy black hair behind her ear. Her eyes were snapped shut, as she bowed deeply. "Sorry, sorry, it's just that-" She looked up to him, her eyes were doe-like and blue, very uncommon for a Japanese human. Her lids fluttered over those pearly blue orbs. "Ah, s-sorry! You- I thought you were Takahashi-sama."

Inuyasha shook his head, he suddenly remembered how irritated he was from being disturbed from his snooze. He had to shake off the spell of her beauty. "No, he moved out a few days ago."

"A-ah." The girl smiled. His stomach's reaction betrayed his desire to stay annoyed. It flopped onto its side, and felt like it had deflated, "Sorry! I forgot he was moving. I'm Kagome. I live downstairs." She pointed down.

An awkward silence breezed between the two. "Mh… Sorry to bother you. I usually go to Takahashi-sama for help."

"It's fine." Inuyasha grunted, his hand moving on its own to scratch behind his ear. "I'm on the clock, anyways."

Kagome's head tilted. His stomach suddenly flopped over to the other side, this time, seemingly tugging his heart down with it. "I'm the new super."

"This building does that?"

"Does now."

"Oh. That's great!" Kagome beamed at him. Any more of this, and Inuyasha swore his insides would collapse and he would die. "The building itself is fine, but it'd be nice to have consistent management!"

Inuyasha nodded, he could almost feel his brain melting. He was not sure if it was due to just waking up or from this new neighbour and apparently, patron of his. He looked down at his feet. Thankfully, he was wearing a pair of plain black socks. The buzz of empty silence, suddenly made him self-conscious. He was not totally sure how to respond to her statement. He wondered if she expected him to be enthusiastic. Should he play nice? He just made himself come off as an absolute jerk, with how he yelled at her. Then again, she didn't seem to notice. Or maybe, she was being nice because he was new. He could not tell. How much time had gone by? Was it too late to respond? Would it be weird. He looked back up at her, she was now looking off to her side. "S-so, what'd you need?"

She looked back at him, "Hmm? Oh, uh… you know what? Don't worry about it. You should get settled in." She smiled gently.

"It's fine."

She shook her head, her smile never once breaking. Her hands folded together in front of her as she bowed once again. "No, no! You should settle in first. It's not a big deal. I'll figure it out."

She turned to her left to return to either the elevator or stairs. "It was nice meeting you… uh…"

"Inuyasha."

She smiled and nodded. "Inuyasha. Welcome to 'THE JEWEL'".


	2. Inuyasha Meets the Girl named Kagome

The annoying bleat of his alarm clock cried at a steady rhythm, beckoning him to wake up. Inuyasha pulled his pillow from under his head, and plopped it on top of his ears. His other hand swat down, to hit the snooze button. He rolled onto his stomach and shifted his legs so one was straight, the other lifted to a near ninety-degree angle. He shut his eyes under his pillow, and kicked the blanket so one of his feet was somewhat more exposed to the air-conditioned room. The cold air soothed his too-warm foot, and helped cool off the rest of his overheating body. He tucked his hands under his pillow, so both were close to face, in a loose fist. The morning marked the first night and first sleep in his new home. His thoughts wondered about the girl from yesterday. Their meeting was brief, but he could slightly recall her face to his mind's eye. Her hair was jet black, and wavy, thickening especially at the tips. She had bangs, he believed that were messy and feel just at level with her eyebrows. Which framed, what he believed were the most beautiful set of blue eyes he had ever seen. He furrowed his brows together trying to remember the rest of her features. He couldn't. But, they were neighbours. There was a good chance he would see her once again, maybe in the halls or the elevator, maybe when –

His eyes snapped open. "Shit." He rolled onto his side and kicked himself off the bed. He reached into his still packed bags and rummaged for any t-shirt. He grabbed a red tank-top and shirked it on. He grabbed his other bag and reached for a pair of sandals. He threw open the door to the rest of loft, heading straight for the coffee table to grab his large ring of many keys. He threw the sandals onto the floor of the foyer and slid them on, before swinging open the door and darting outside. The sky was bright, but the sun was still behind their west-facing building. He went straight to the elevator and tapped a knuckle against the 'down' arrow. He waited a second before glancing at his watch. 718. Morning rush hour, he turned the corner and found the door to the staircase. His hand grabbed the knob and twisted, it clicked, telling him there was no lock. He threw himself in a sprint down the stairs. When he got to the main floor, he opened the door between the stairwell and the main hallway, twisting the keys around, looking for the green framed one. 'Green? Or was it purple. Shit.'

He paused to allow glass doors to slide themselves open before stepping in front of the mailbox. He tried the green framed key first, and slid it into the mailbox with the label '1'. No click. No go.

He tried the purple. Still, no click. "Tch."

He placed the keys into his left hand and sprawled them out. He picked up the unframed one. 'third time'. The mailbox clicked. He held onto the key and pulled the small door open, revealing few envelopes. The management team – prior to himself – stayed on top of things. He wouldn't expect much less from the owner of the building. He grabbed the bundle of envelopes, before closing and locking the mailbox. He made his way back.

Looking at the elevator, Inuyasha decided against taking it. Most likely, it was in use between one of the possible 26 or more other residents. He walked over to the stair door, but stopped as the it opened on its own. His eyes travelled up, and stopped to face a head of black hair.

The figure turned, her arm still behind her shutting the door. "What?" She sneered.

Inuyasha's lids fell with his excitement. Not who he hoped. "Nothing? Then excuse me." She hissed. He pivoted as this girl shoved past him. Her hand gripping the small hand bag that was at her hip. He kept looking at the doors, as she kept her swift pace. He wondered what was biting her. Rather than dwell, Inuyasha pushed his way through the door and up the stairs. By the third level he heard another set of footsteps. He looked up, his hopes rising. A figure turned the corner of the stairs. It was a boy with a long, black pony tail. He wore a denim jacket on top of a brown polo. Dark, fitted jeans covered his legs and black sneakers adorned his feet.

"Pardon me," he said. Somehow his voice held a wave of arrogance. The guys skipped a couple steps as he made his way past Inuyasha, who observed the stupid brown head band on his head. Athlete, most likely. More steps followed. He glanced up, not moving from his current place, one foot on a step higher than the other, he turned his body, so his back was squared with the wall. He kept his eyes focused on the platform, hoping. Two other boys tripped over themselves and each other. One styled his hair in a retro 90's style Mohawk, the other's was messy hair was grey with one patch either remaining or dyed charcoal. "Wait, Koga!" They continued down the stairs. The messy haired one, apologizing as the two ran past Inuyasha.

In a span of eight minutes he had already met four new neighbours. But, such was the early morning of busy Japan, especially Tokyo. He passed the fourth floor and was half way to the fifth when he heard the door open again. He kept himself moving, only just realizing how far 6 levels, 12 half-flights, really was.

"Oh, Inuyasha!" A voice-like bells caught his attention. "Good morning." Kagome smiled politely. As she seemingly floated down the steps.

"Morning." He mumbled. He stared at his sandals, and realized he was still in his pyjama pants. A faint blush crossed his cheeks. He did not look at her. His ears felt like they were also turning red. Which would be embarrassing, because red is quite visible underneath silver fur. Kagome stopped when they were on the same set of steps. She bent so she could see him. "Uh… You, uh, needed something yesterday."

Kagome blinked, the straightened up. "Uh… yeah, I did." She giggled. As she did his stomach lurched forward inside of him. "But, I have to get to class. Maybe come by later? I'll be home by…" she checked her watch. As she looked at her watch, Inuyasha took this chance to really see her and look at her features. Her lips were soft peachy-pink colour. He noticed they were also quite thin. Her nose was small and round, just perfect symmetrical, centered on face. But, there was something else about her.

"Probably 1800? Does that work?"

He nodded.

"Thanks," She grinned. "I'm in 303." She waved at him as she left. When she turned and face fell back to a resting expression, a strange feeling filled him.

The day had gone by. Inuyasha checked through the mail and found it was nothing but bills that had already been paid for, a few flyers and a notice about not leaving garbage on the sides. He had gone to convenience store and bought a few bowls of instant noodles and some pudding dessert. He thought about doing groceries, but decided against it, considering he had no intention of cooking at the time. He grabbed looked at the clock on stove, 1744. Quarter to 6, he would arrive at Kagome's place at quarter past, so as not to seem too eager. Or should he arrive right at 6, to prove he was professional and reliable? He pulled his phone out of his pocket when he finished putting the noodles into his cupboard.

He opened his internet browser to look for any odd jobs. As much as he was paid a decent amount as superintendent, he was sure he wouldn't have too much going on. Although it was one of the older buildings of the Crescent-West company, the building was well maintained. There did not seem like too much available, at least none with a decent availability, or within a reasonable distance. In the corner of his phone he saw the 1759 blink into 1800. He picked himself up off the couch and made his way to apartment 303. In traditional Japanese fashion, the building skipped the fourth floor. This time Inuyasha decided to take the elevator and take advantage of the mirror. He was not fashionable in any way, but at least presentable. He stepped into the elevator. His black t-shirt fit loosely over him and covered the waist line of his denim jeans. They were faded and slightly tattered, but it was better than the stylish, polka-dotted pyjama pants he was rocking earlier. He pulled his long silver hair back into a low-ponytail.

He knocked gently on the door that said '303'. He heard Kagome acknowledge his arrival. He felt relieved she was already home, so he wouldn't have to looks stupid for waiting there. The clicks of locks brought him back from his thoughts. He turned to see Kagome, he hair in a low and loose braid. She smiled, "Hey! Come in." She greeted. Inuyasha stepped into the apartment. They layout was just like his, except it seemed smaller. Perhaps it was the presence of the pull-out bed in the middle of the room. A drawer was pushed against the wall that would separate the living space with the bedroom a TV was mounted to the wall just above the drawer. Across the unfolded bed, was a dining table, flush against the wall. Three fold-able chairs filled the empty sides, each a different colour. One was green, one pink, the other purple. The walls had a few photographs lining it. Before he had a chance to really observe them, Kagome's voice interrupted, "Sorry for the mess. I just got home and my roommates leave much earlier than I do, and don't get home til later."

"You've got roomates?" He emphasized the plural.

Kagome nodded, and held up her hand with her fingers in a 'V' shape. "Two."

He thought one was too many for such a small loft.

"Isn't that-"

"It's technically over-crowded, but rent is a bit steep. I managed to convince the owner to let me have a third person, cause I tutor his daughter."

Inuyasha held a palm against the wall of the foyer to pull off his shoes. This time, he decided to wear actual sneakers, rather than his dirty, dusty slides. "You tutor Rin?"

Kagome grabbed a rag and started wiping the tiny dining table. "Yeah, you know her?"

"She's my niece. Her adoptive father is my half-brother, that's why I'm the super."

"Helping out his delinquent brother?" Kagome snickered.

"Not delinquent," Inuyasha started as he stepped in the living room. "Just bored."

Kagome laughed. He kept a grin managed, so he would not look too pleased with himself. "So, what did you need?"

Kagome straightened up. "Oh, right." She went back to the kitchen, and rung her cloth over the sink, placing it over the faucet, then washed her hands quickly. She waved a hand to beckon him over, then opened the doors under the sink. "Our sink has been stuck on cold water for the past two days. We've managed to wash our dishes in the bathroom sink, but I'm getting tired of convenience store sandwiches and instant ramen."

Inuyasha bent down on one knee to observe the pipes. "You got a flash light?"

"You didn't bring one?"

Inuyasha went flush. He was so busy worrying about his image, he forgot his tools. Kagome got onto her knees beside him, and turned on her phone's flashlight, glaring it into the darkness of the underneath. He really hoped she would not turn to him. He glanced around the pipes for a few moments, reaching his hand in to help him get a feel for what was going on. "It's probably your diverter. I gotta get my tools, and I can fix it for you."

"Did you study trades?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "Just picked up a bit of skills here and there."

"In your years as a delinquent?" Kagome smiled. He chuckled in response before getting up to grab his tools from his room.

It was already 7:30 in the evening when Inuyasha got the kitchen sink to push out hot water. Je just had to turn the diverter switch on. It took some toggling, but he got it to work. "You did that so smoothly."

"Not really."

"Sure you did. It took some back and forth, but if I was you, I would have called the plumber crying."

Inuyasha dried his hands on a towel he had brought. "I mean, you could have done that in the first place."

"I guess, but that means I wouldn't get to see you."

Her reply left him absolutely floored. Perhaps he died. Perhaps he messed up her plumbing, drowned himself and he died, and all this was good fever-dream. His mind raced, and somehow, shut off at once. Did she mean that? Was she flirting? Should he flirt back? Did he know how to flirt back? "I mean, that and I can't afford to pay a plumbing bill right now."

"Oh."

She laughed at his response. "But, I did mean it. I'm glad I got to meet you."

"Y-yeah. Anyways, if it happens again, you know where to find me." He gathered all his tools and piled them into the box, rather than arranging them as they were before he started his work. He slung his towel over his shoulders and headed straight out.

"Hey, Inuyasha!" Kagome called out to him before he could open the door and make his exit. He paused. "You want a drink?"

He scoffed. "Yeah, I've seen enough porn to know where that leads." His mouth snapped shut. Was that out loud? 'Shit, fuck, shit…' his brain warped. All of his insides started melting down, panicking and rolling over each other. A mental image of fire and famine painted itself in his brain, with the corpses of all his organs scattering the sad moor of his mind. Any chances of presenting himself well to this girl gone, through themselves, out the door, off the patio and effectively splattering themselves onto the pavement. He turned to her, ready to face the consequences. She would probably cuss him out, and ask him to never come back. She would probably accuse him of being a dirty pervert, and would tell him she hated him and always would. Only the second night and already he would make a fool himself and make one of heaven's angels hate him.

Kagome laid to glasses on to the table, one filled with ice and what smelled like brown-rice tea. "Sorry, I didn't catch that. I don't have hanyou senses."

Inuyasha blinked. He blinked again. Somehow, he was safe. He let go of the doorknob, the placed the toolbox back down on the ground. He shook his head. But inside, he was fainting. That was a bullet, barely dodged. He sat in the green chair. And pressed the rim of his glass against his lips. He looked as Kagome swirled the cup in her hands. So, she figured out that he was a hanyou. It was not hard to, but usually youkai could tell right away, while humans took a little longer to discern. She could probably tell he was partially shocked. "My grandfather inherited a shrine, and I've learned to read and sense auras." That explained it.

"It doesn't bother you?"

She shrugged. "Why should it?" That was new. Usually people had a prejudice. Humans did not like youkai, and youkai did not like humans. Since hanyou were a mix, neither side could like them. There were the few and far who paid no attention to it, he had a few close friends who overlooked it from the time he had met them, there were some who grew accustomed to it. His own older brother was one of those who learned to accept that it what it is. The disdain was transferred to their father.

"My dad is the youkai."

"Daiyoukai." She corrected him. "Sesshomaru doesn't try to hide it."

Figures.

"I think it's really cool, actually." She started. She took a sip of her drink, then put the glass down on the table, both hands holding it on either side. "Maybe, I'm too much of a romantic. But, two different sides, whose love overcame prejudice and boundaries? It's beautiful."

He never really thought of it that way. It was weird he did not. Other than himself he knew a few other hanyou who were also born to loving relationships. He was fairly sure – given how twisted the world is – there were some born from less fortunate circumstances, but thus far, he had not met them. "I study Japanese history, so I have to take some literature classes. One of my favourite stories is about a hanyou. He fell in love with a priestess, who came from a different dimension."

"My mother told me that one."

She seemed pleased to hear. "It's not one commonly told. Especially the real ending."

"The real ending?"

Kagome nodded. "At the end of the battle over the holy pearl, the priestess was pushed into the well that lead her to her real dimension. She and the hanyou never met again."

"Yeah, I was told she found a way back and they lived together, forever."

"Mmh… I prefer your ending. I'm a sucker for happy endings."

He was not sure why she was sharing, but he had nothing against it. He investigated her features more, as he listened to her speak about history and how she had an interest in it since her cat fell down her family's ancient well. As he studied her, the odd feeling welled back into his stomach. It was strange he could not quite put his finger on it, but there was something about her that was oddly familiar. He wondered if this was one of those anime moments where a final reveal would tell them both that in their childhood, that they had both somehow forgotten he rescued her – or vice versa – and fate had brought together again. Better yet, he wondered if in a past life he was a sealed spirit, rescued by an unwitting heroine, forced on some self-discovery journey where they both fell in love, and now they were back for round two. He scoffed to himself.

"…And my cousin, Kikyo –"

"Sorry, what?" His stomach ran cold, and it wasn't from the ice in his cold tea.

"Uh…"

"Who is your cousin?" His brows furrowed together.

"Kikyo…"

"As in… Goshin Kikyo?"

"Well… she used to be." Kagome put her glass down. "Like I said, she was in school to be a doctor but met some guy and got married. She goes by Onigumo Kikyo, now. Unfortunate family name, huh? We don't talk any more, ever since they moved to Okinawa."

Inuyasha stared at her. That's when it clicked. That when he realized why there was an odd feeling. There was an uncanny resemblance between Kagome and Kikyo. He realized that she knew he was staring and made the connection when she continued. "We look really similar, huh," her smiled remained, but there something of sadness behind it. "But, she's cuter. Much cuter."

He was not sure what to say. But, he knew he would not have anything to do with Kikyo. Not even if it was a relative that she no longer spoke with. He stood up and bowed. "thanks for the drink. Let me know if you need anything else. I gotta go."

This time, he didn't hesitate and she didn't stop him.


End file.
